Things Aren't Always As They Seem
by Stone Jackal
Summary: Things are not always as they appear to be...
1. Saviour

**SummeryThings aren't always what they seem...**

**Disclaimer: TW doesn't belong to me. Ah phooey!**

A/N: Let's say that Cruz spent about two weeks in jail. Let's also say that she was removed from solitary confinement. 

"Not so tough now are you? Huh pig?"

A barely coherent voice demanded tauntingly above her. She could hardly make out the face, as she lay sprawled on the cold, uneven cement floor. So cold.

" Get up pig!" The voice ordered. She tried, but her legs wouldn't cooperate. She slumped again to the floor. Another hard kick connected with her already sore abdomen," I said get up!"

" I'm here for one of your prisoners," A man showed his badge and said at the front of the prison," She's being released."

" Name," One of the guards asked in monotone.

"Maritza Cruz," The man replied.

" Cruz, Cruz," The guard skimmed through a list attached to the clipboard they held," She's in the rec. room. You can go and get her yourself, if you want. Just check in Mister."

" Oh, I want," The man muttered under his breath, then removed his gun from his holster," Here," He stuck it in the drawer.

" Sign here," The guard pushed another clipboard at him through a small hole in the Plexiglas separating the guards' station from the rest of the front room of the prison.

The man scribbled his name quickly on the line provided," There you go," He shoved the clipboard through the hole to the guard. A buzzer rang, and the large, barred gate swung open. He stepped through, and closed it behind him.

" Follow me," Another guard motioned for him to follow them. They led him down a narrow corridor, which he noticed was increasingly chilly. Poor Ritza, he thought, of all the things to get mixed up into.

" Here we are," The guard opened a door to expose a large-ish room, with tables and chairs lining the place. A small TV set sat in one corner. But what was happening in another corner interested the stranger more.

" Leave her alone," He ordered in a menacing voice," Now!"

There was a group of about three inmates gathered around another woman lying on the floor. The inmates around her, one in particular, had been kicking her.

The inmates looked back at him, and the one who had been kicking, snarled back," Says who?"

The woman on the floor managed to lift her head, and what she saw astonished her,

" Bosco?" She gasped," Is it really you?"

As soon as he heard her voice, weak and painful, Bosco surged toward her," Hey Ritza, it's me."

" But you were," She stopped here to take a shaky breath," You were shot. I saw you."

" I'm all right honey," Bosco crouched down beside her, and took her hand," I'm right here. Come on. Let's go."

" Where?" She allowed him to pull her to her feet, but she leaned heavily against him. He put his arm around her and held her against him.

" We're going home," Bosco explained," You're being released."

" Why's she getting released? The little," One of the ones who had only been an observer cursed under her breath.

Ignoring the inmates, Bosco spoke directly to Maritza. He spoke gently, and right into her ear," Come on. Let's go."

Nodding against his side, she let him lead her out of the room, and down the hall. Shivering she whispered,

" Cold so cold."

" We'll get you warmed up, I promise," He whispered back. When they approached the guard station, he sat her on a bench right beside it," I've just got to get my gun and sign out. Sit still."

She did as she was told. Was it really him? Could it really be him?

Lifting her from the bench, Bosco decided carrying her would be easier than making her walk. She looked so sore. First stop hospital, he also decided.

A guard held the door open for him.

" Thanks," He said to them as he stepped out. Walking carefully so as not to jolt her, he made his way to his car. She cuddled to him, and shivered.

He bent slightly, and opened the car door. Settling her inside, he closed the door, and jogged around to the other side, opened the driver's side door, and got in. She was shivering hard now, and whimpering quietly. Bosco realized that the movement was probably hurting her ribs, which were probably bruised, if not cracked.

" Where are we going?" She asked in a whisper.

" I'm taking you to a hospital," He replied, then reached over and patted her knee," How're you feeling?"

" I'm ok-ay," Maritza coughed as she spoke. He looked her over at the red light. There were bruises speckling her face, and she was holding her stomach.

" Did they beat you often?" He asked quietly. He was silent for a moment, waiting for her answer.

Maritza didn't answer. She just shivered and moaned as the movement shook her ribs.

Shaking his head, Bosco clenched his hands on the steering wheel. Cops weren't safe in a prison. Any judge would have, should have, known that. Cops weren't safe there.

Pulling into the hospital parking lot, he stopped the car and deposited the keys in his pocket. Glancing over at Maritza, he said," We're here."

He got out and went over to the passenger door. He opened it, and lifted her gently out. Closing the door with his foot, he carried her into the hospital outpatient's entrance.

Settling her on a chair, he went to the front desk," Hey."

A nurse looked up and smiled at him," Hey, do you need help?"

" That woman over there," He motioned to where Maritza was curled in a small hospital chair," Was beat up. " Bosco showed his badge," She's a cop too. But I think she has bruised ribs. Who knows what else."

" All right Officer," The nurse spoke in a soothing tone," Let's get your friend into an exam room. Follow me."

The nurse led them to Exam Three. Bosco helped Maritza settle on the paper-sheeted bed. The nurse took a paper gown from a closet, and handed to Maritza,

" Here honey," The nurse instructed," You just put this on, and the doctor will be here in just a second."

" Okay," Maritza nodded uncertainly, her eyes not leaving Bosco's face," Can he stay with me?"

" I'm not going any where Ritza," Bosco was standing at the end of the bed, with his arms crossed, looking like a sentinel, watching over her, " I'm right here."

The nurse gave him a curious look," Are you sure you don't want a girl in here with you honey?"

" No," Maritza insisted," Him. Please."

" If that's what you want," The nurse agreed slowly, though still looking a bit confused" The doctor will be here in a moment."

Maritza struggled with putting the thin paper gown on. Bosco let her do it on her own for as long as he could stand. She had managed to pull her orange coveralls down to her waist, and had the paper gown over her head. Bosco helped her put her arms in the sleeve holes, and rid her off the ugly prison garb. He did the back of the gown up for her.

When the doctor entered the room, Bosco regained his pose at the foot of the bed, and looked all the part of a protective boyfriend, or husband. The latter was what the doctor mistook him for.

The doctor's name was Dr. Brown. After what looked to be a painful exam for Maritza, Dr Brown pulled Bosco to the side,

" Officer Boscorelli, your wife's ribs are very bruised."

Bosco noticed the 'your wife', and decided to let it slip," What can we do for her?"

" We can give her some meds for the pain, and I want to wrap her ribs. While I'd like to keep her, I can see no reason to insist that she stay overnight. I want you to keep a close eye on her. Keep her comfortable. She also looks as if she's sustained some emotional distress as well. I'm merely warning you that she could be very emotional over the next few days," Dr Brown explained," Be careful so as not to bump her."

" Your wife is very cold, and she has a bit of a cough. That may irate her ribs, but if it gets too bad, bring her back in."

" Thank-you," Bosco nodded.

" No problem," Dr Brown patted his shoulder, and left the room. Bosco sighed. She really looked sore.

" Hey Ritza," He took her hand, and rubbed it between his," I'm taking you home with me. Okay?"

" Why can't I go home by myself?" She asked, and then coughed.

Sore and sick, and she still wants to be on her own, Bosco thought.

" Because, you're going home with me baby," He rubbed her other hand with his to warm it.

Maritza couldn't believe it. Was she really looking into Bosco's blue eyes, or was she imagining it? Was she just dreaming, and she was going to wake up and have to face the other prisoners soon? He had been shot; she had seen him with her own two eyes. His blood was everywhere. His face had been severely cut up. All she could see on his face now were a few scars on his right cheek. They were mostly healed.

" I don't have any clothes," Was what she finally managed to say.

Producing a plastic bag, he passed it to her. Inside was her clothes, the clothes she had been arrested in.


	2. Explainations

_Author's Note: I don't know exactly how long it takes to recuperate from being shot in the severity that Bosco's injuries are stated as being. I am merely guessing. Hopefully, I was close enough to the correct time limit to make this plausible. _

As they drove through the streets, Maritza noticed he took a turn different than the one to his apartment.

" Where are we going," She asked.

" My place," He replied," It's just over this hill."

" But I thought..." Maritza trailed off.

" I moved," He said quietly.

It was then that Maritza noticed Bosco wasn't driving his Mustang. He was driving a black SUV. A new, black, SUV. There had been more than one change made, she noted silently.

Inside his apartment, Bosco dropped his keys on a table by the door, and led Maritza to the living room. He sat her down, and set the bag with her meds in it on the coffee table.

Sitting gingerly beside the bag, he asked," How you feeling?"

" Cold," Was her answer.

" I can fix that," He got up and disappeared down a hallway. Within a moment he was back, draping a large, puffy green blanket over her.

" Thanks."

" No problem," He re-took his seat on the coffee table," I'll bet you're wondering what the heck's going on."

" That would be my first question," She agreed.

"Well, the guy in the hospital bed at Mercy isn't me," He began," When I was shot, yeah, it was pretty serious. But the doctor exaggerated the extent if my injuries."

" No shit," Maritza muttered.

" I heard that," Bosco chuckled,' What happened was the feds had decided to smuggle the real me out of there, seeing as I was the easiest to get a hold of, and that Mann had never went after Faith's family, or Yoshi's, just mine."

" Mikey," She gasped.

" Yeah, Mikey," Bosco sighed and nodded," So I was airlifted out of Mercy and taken to a different hospital in Philly. They took the glass out of my face and pulled the bullets out of me."

" How many times were you hit?" She wanted to know.

" They didn't make up the number of shots, only the areas of impact. I got two in the stomach, one in my right arm, and one right under my left collar bone."

" I see."

" I'm sorry you all had to be told that I was mortally wounded," He shook his head, " I was hoping they wouldn't tell Ma some crazy, half-baked story."

" Why didn't you come back?" A thought burned through her mind," After Mann died? Why didn't you come back?"

" I was asked to stay," He muttered the next words to himself, " More like told," Then his voice returned tonormal,"and help figure out how exactly Mann died. I knew both of the suspects well, and the FBI thought I could be of service to them."

" Oh."

" I knew that if Mann was going to hurt you, Faith would probably only wound him," He continued," And CT Finney thought that you shot Mann and used Faith as a cover. But that couldn't be right, because when the ballistics checked out, it was _my_ gun that was used to shoot Mann. I felt Faith take my gun out of my ankle holster."

" It was?" Maritza was surprised. No one had mentioned the gun. She had supposed that it was just a regular police issue 9 mil.

" It was. I went through all the evidence, and all the pictures, and I went through all I knew about the two of you. The only thing the FBI didn't figure on was Captain Finney being in such a rush to write you up. He really doesn't like you."

" Tell him to join the club," Maritza muttered," I figured you'd be the president."

" Why?"

" Because I, you said it was my fault Mikey died, and then there was when Yokas got shot," She looked him directly in the eyes," Why are you doing this?"

" Because I was wrong. Because I'm sorry. Because I still want to be friends," He answered," I'm sorry I yelled at you about the whole Mikey deal."

Maritza nodded," That really hurt, you know."

Bosco stared at her for a second. She had never been open about her feeling like that before. After the first night they had spent together, she had totally blown him off, accused him of getting_ clingy._

He opened his mouth to say something, and that was when he noticed her tears. Putting his arms around her, he maneuvered himself to sit on the couch, cradling her in his lap, "Don't cry Ritza."

She just sobbed against his shirtfront. Rocking her gently, minding not to hold her too tightly and hurt her ribs, he realized all the information he had basically thrown at her was taking its toll. He held her until she had exhausted her tears, and fell asleep in his arms. Probably her first restful sleep in a while, he thought. Easing himself off the couch, he carried her to his bedroom, and tucked her into his bed. She immediately released her hold on him, to grasp one of his pillows.

He backed silently out of his room; leaving the door open a crack to hear her if she needed him. He went back to his living room and settled himself back onto the couch. If he ever got his hands on the group that had hurt her, they would be sorry they had ever heard the name Cruz.

Glancing at his watch, he realized it was almost ten' o'clock. He wasn't tired. Flicking through the channels on his TV, he found pretty much nothing on. Not unless you wanted to see another documentary on the life cycle of some endangered species. He turned off the TV, and leafed through the pile of mail he had left on his counter that morning. Bill, junk, bill, junk, and a letter. The letter was from his sponsor child in Africa. The little boy's name was Tito. He lived in West Africa. Most of his family had starved, or been killed during a war in Africa Bosco hadn't known had happened. The only ones that were left in his family were Tito, his older brother, and his youngest sister. Tito wrote almost every week, sending pictures he had drawn himself or a report from school. Bosco wrote back nearly as often. The young boy was funny, and he often sent jokes in his letters. Bosco cut cartoons from the funny pages from the newspaper and sent them to Tito. The kid was quick too, and he was learning really fast. So said the reports Bosco got from Tito and from Tito's school. He was proud of the boy, and knew his family was too, if the occasional letter he received from Tito's older brother meant anything.

Reading Tito's letter, Bosco laughed quietly to himself. How did the elephant hide in the strawberry patch?

" By painting his toenails red," Bosco answered in a low voice.

Smiling, he sat back down on the couch. Reading Tito's letters and wondering how a child with so little, could be so happy, always put things into perspective for him. Bosco pulled the puffy green blanket over him, and drifted into a comfortable sleep.

_Author's Note (2): Sorry it took so long for an update. Exams. Oy. D_

_Reviews:_

_quacksd: I'm glad I have your attention._

_T: I was wondering what happened to you… _

_Lindz: Thanks, read on and you'll find out where I'm headed with this._

_Caz-10-5- Another chapter, coming up!_

_Detective Faith Boscorelli- I couldn't quite make out the meaning of your review… :D_

_Phelipa- Bosco and Cruz. What's not to love:D_


	3. Morning Medicine

Maritza awoke in a coughing fit. Burying her face in the pillow she clutched, she muffled the sound so as not to wake Bosco. She figured he had dozed off on the couch. By the time she finished coughing, her ribs felt as if they were on fire. Where had Bosco put the meds the doctor had told him to give her? On the coffee table?

She couldn't believe he was all right, and that he _had been_ all right all this time. His poor mother. And Yokas too. And Monroe, and Davis, and Sullivan. They had all been worried about him, even Lieutenant Swersky. How had he gotten this apartment, and his new truck? Where would he get the money for that?

She started to cough again. She burrowed her face into the pillow. All she could smell was Bosco. It was his bed after all. But why was he taking care of her? Why did he take her from Rikers?

Gentle footsteps could be heard padding down the hall. The door opened, and Bosco entered. He was carrying a little cup, with a red-ish liquid in it in one hand, and in the other he carried a brown paper bag. He also wasn't wearing a shirt. She could see the jagged scars on his stomach, his arms, and his chest.

" Sit up" He said, when he came close to the bed" I could hear you coughing all the way down the hall."

" Sorry" She pulled herself into a sitting position. He passed her the cup" What is this"

" Cough medicine" Bosco set the paper bag on the night stand, and switched on the lamp" Drink it."

Quickly, Maritza did. It didn't taste so bad" Cherry flavored"

He nodded" How's the ribs"

" Still there" She replied. He touched her side, and she winced.

" You want the painkillers"

Maritza nodded" Can I take the painkillers, and the cough syrup"

This time Bosco nodded" Yep. The doc told me to give you them."

" Alright."

Bosco took the bag and fished through it till he grasped a small container of pills. He sat on the side of the bed, and leaned close to the lamp to read the label" Two every eight hours for pain."

Maritza was watching the muscles in his back as he moved. She was darn near mesmerized when he turned his front to her, and passed her two chalky looking pills. It wasn't a bad front either. Maritza took the pills from him, and swallowed them dry, before he had time to ask her if she wanted some water to wash them down. She concentrated on him as she worked the indeed chalky pills down her throat.

Bosco shook his head, and continued to read the label of the pill bottle" Says here may cause drowsiness. That's all right, you need to sleep anyway."

Swallowing the last of the pills, Maritza nodded" How did you get this place" She really wanted to ask about why he had taken such an interest in her all of the sudden, but decided to go the less-confrontational route. She knew there had to be more to it than what he had said before. Just wanted to be friends?

" A buddy of mine from the Rangers owns the building" Bosco had opened the paper bag, and dropped the bottle back into it" He wanted to move to the Island, so he lets me stay here if I watch the place for him."

" Oh, nice setup. What about the truck"

" The FBI lent it to me. They said I'd need something to get around in" Bosco sighed, looking like he wanted to ask her something. Finally he did" How's my mother"

" Alright" Maritza said" But she sits by 'your' bedside every day. Only, you're not in it."

" I know" Bosco shrugged" But I'm clearing that up in the morning. No more hiding out."

" You mean it"

" Yes" He glanced at his watch" Or rather, later this morning."

Maritza glanced at her own watch. It was about 5:30am" Sorry I woke you."

" Don't worry about it" He grinned, and her breath caught in her throat. That it was actually he, sitting right in front of her, perched on the edge of the bed, still hadn't registered yet.

Bosco sat still knowing that she was watching him. It was a lot to take in. He had been completely disorientated when he woke up in Philly with a couple of suit wearing Feds, and an unrecognizable nurse was staring back at him. Then they had told him where the heck he was, and why he was there. When they had found out Mann had been killed, they decided to keep him around. He knew the people; he knew what they were dealing with. They had moved him into the apartment, one that he had already had lined up, but nobody knew about. He was grateful for that. Free movers. And the truck was cool too, but he couldn't wait to get his Mustang back. Or to go back to work. You've never experienced boredom until you've been banished from work, a job you love, and all the people you love, for a little over two months.

Maritza glanced at him. He was in another world by the looks of it. His eyes had a far-away look to them, and he stared off at the wall. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she couldn't hold her head up. Sinking back onto the pillow, she yawned widely. Man, does that stuff ever work fast, she thought.

The last thing she heard before dozing back off was,

" Sleep tight Ritza." Bosco brushed her hair back, and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

Author's Note: Hey! Didn't take near as long with this one did it? I'm not sure about including Maritza's mysterious illness. It could depend on what it is. Let me know in the reviews what you think. Until then;

_Reviews:_

_T: You better_** -**

_Detective Faith Boscorelli: I know you're trying to tell me something, I know it. I just can't figure out what _it is**. :p**

Phelipa: Another chapter, here you go. Hope you enjoy it.

Caz-10-5: I'm glad you love it.

quacksd: I'm glad I seem to be holding your attention. More is coming!

flannelsanddramaqueens: I'm not trying to show Cruz as weak, I was thinking more like dependant, or maybe a little weak. She just spent two weeks in prison.

_Dagmar: I'm not sure about Cruz's illness. But, Cruz and Bosco are the best in my books anyway!_


	4. Reunion

After breakfast, at about nine 'o' clock, Bosco and Maritza set out for _Angel Of Mercy Hospital. _Bosco's mind wasn't on driving, Maritza noticed. She could tell since he didn't curse or yell at any of the other drivers. It seemed he was dreading the explanations he would most likely have to give.

"Are you ready?" He asked, turning to her. They were just outside the entrance to the hospital, and Bosco pulled his favorite baseball cap down low over his eyes.

" As ready as I'll ever be," She replied, giving him a small smile.

Taking her hand, they entered the hospital together. Everything was so familiar. Bosco felt like his heart was going so fast it would beat right out of his chest.

Maritza led him past the nurses' station, ignoring the curious glances they were getting. Bosco's jacket collar was turned up, and his hat was pulled low over his eyes, so most, if not all, of his face was covered. A few nurses looked like they might say something, but none did.

Once inside the elevator, Bosco released a pent-up breath. His insides felt like jelly, and his knees had turned to mush. He leaned back against the wall. Maritza squeezed his hand for reassurance.

" Don't worry Bos," She whispered," It'll be all right."

Bosco nodded feebly," Thanks Ritza."

The elevator doors swished open. Maritza led him down the hall, and into _his_ room. Bosco paused in the doorway. The sight of his mother nearly rent his heart in two. There were bags underneath red, puffy eyes.

" Ma," He croaked out.

Rose looked up to see a friend of her son's, the name escaped her at the moment, and man who looked familiar. Who could it be? He was wearing her baby's favorite baseball cap.

" Danny, you can stop being me now man," Bosco tried to keep his voice steady.

The form on the bed sat up suddenly, "'Bout time you showed up."

Rose shrieked. Maritza reached up and snatched the ball cap off Bosco's head.

" Ma-aurice?" Rose whispered. Bosco nodded, and swallowed hard. Both mother and son had tears in their eyes. Rose reached foreword, placing a hand on his cheek," My baby."

Bosco pulled his mother into his arms, and hugged her fiercely. Rose burst into wild sobs, and clung to him.

" Ma," Bosco rocked her and whispered," I love you."

"My baby," Rose cried," My baby."

'Danny' looked at Maritza through his one unbandaged eye.

Rose pushed Bosco back just barely enough to see his face, " Maurice? I don't, I don't understand. What happened?"

Explanations flowed out of Bosco like water. Maritza stood close by, occasionally touching Bosco's arm.

Finally Bosco had explained the; who, what, where, when and the how. Rose sank back into her chair, no longer able to stand. She couldn't believe all the information thrust at her. Her baby had been shot four times, just not as bad as the white coats thought. How could that be her baby standing in front of her?

"Why Maurice?"

Bosco sighed, he still felt as if the entire room could hear his heart beating. " I was the easiest one to get out at the time. Plus Mann seemed intent on messing with me."

"Michael," Rose gasped.

"Yeah," Bosco felt like his insides had revolted and decided they would prefer to be his outsides. Thankfully Maritza had slipped an arm around him. He remembered her ribs, and kept his weight off of her.

After a long moment of silence, Danny muttered," Can someone unwrap me? And unhook these things?"

He lifted an arm, showcasing an array of wires taped to him. Then he glanced at each of them with his uncovered eye.

Bosco broke into a grin, Maritza noticed, for the first time in hours.

" Call for a nurse Danny," Bosco told him.

" Oh," Danny reached over, and repeatedly pushed the nurse call button.

Nurse Mary Procter and Nurse Jenny Springston entered the room moments later. They looked from Bosco, to Maritza, to Rose, to Danny, his head wrapped in bandages.

" Oh boy," Bosco muttered," Here we go again."

It was nearly two-thirty when they finally got out of the hospital. Before they left, Danny pulled Bosco aside,

" You're a lucky man Boscorelli."

Bosco nodded," I know."

" You had all these people visiting you, and crying," Danny sighed," A few times, you'd never guess how much I wanted to tell your mother you were okay."

" Thanks man," Bosco extended his hand, and Danny shook it,

" No problem. Be careful out there."

" Will do."

" One down," Bosco mumbled as he climbed into the truck. Maritza got in the passenger side,

" You're doing good," She smiled at him.

He gave her a half-hearted smile back," How's your ribs?"

" Alright," Maritza replied," Those meds are still working."

" Let me know when they start to hurt," Bosco patted her knee," I've got the meds in my pocket."

" You got it Doc," She teased.

Bosco rolled his eyes," You want to stop by your place, pick up a change of clothes?"

" No thanks," Maritza shook her head," I've got clothes in my locker."

" Alright."

Just before they entered the precinct house, Bosco adjusted his ball cap,

" Screw this," He grumbled," I'm not hiding anymore."

" Good," Maritza took his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back, and interlaced his fingers with her's,

" It's good to have you back."

Bosco took a deep breath to calm himself. His heart revved up, and it pounded in his chest. Pushing open the door, he took note of all the familiarities. All the hurrying and rushing. People getting booked, lawyers, witness, and cops everywhere. This is where he should have been for the past few months. Maritza's hand still in his, he faced the eyes, the many questioning eyes that turned to gaze at him.

Newly promoted Detective Yokas was on her way down the stairs. When she saw him, she froze. It couldn't be. Bosco was in a hospital bed, barely able to breathe on his own, let alone walk, or be standing in front of her now.

" Hey Faith," Lieutenant John Miller came up behind her," Faith? Are you all right?" He tapped her shoulder. He noticed the direction she was gazing and looked that way himself.

" Boscorelli," John announced," It's about time."

Bosco looked over to where John was standing and saw Faith. His eyes smiled and he gave her a grin,

" Hey Yokas, that's some outfit."

Faith's face unfroze and she managed a quiet," Bosco?"

Maritza released his hand as he crossed to the bottom of the stairs. Faith hurried down to him, and flung her arms around his neck, sobbing.

" It's okay," Bosco rocked her and whispered," I'm right here."

" How? When? What, what happened?" Faith sputtered, wiping her eyes.

The other officers stayed off to the side. All was quiet, until roll call let out.

Maritza stepped closer to Bosco, and John joined the group too. Lieutenant Swersky rounded the corner, followed by Ty, Sully, Sasha, and Brendan Finney.

" What's going on?" Swersky asked loudly.

Bosco turned towards him, a smirk on his face," Hey Lieu. Sorry I'm late."

Faith rolled her eyes. Maritza took a deep breath, while Bosco tried to swallow the lump in his throat.

" Boscorelli? What are you?" Swersky stuttered. Sully looked shock-shelled, his eyes wide. Ty rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing right. Brendan looked confused, while Sasha croaked out,

" Bos-co? Is that you?"

Grinning, Bosco replied," Yeah Sash, it's me. And no, you don't need glasses Ty."

Lieu took Bosco into his office to sort things through. While he was gone, Faith and the others turned to Maritza,

" You knew?" Faith asked.

" No," Maritza shook her head," I just found out yesterday."

" When did you get out of, well, um, you know?" Sasha asked nervously.

" Yesterday," Maritza answered.

They all had questions. Maritza didn't have all the answers. They would all have to wait until Swersky released Bosco from the belly of the beast, Lieu's office in the center of the building.

Inside Swersky's office, Bosco gave the same explanation he had given Maritza the day before. With a few alterations. Swersky mulled this over, Bosco working with the FBI. That was something he never had expected to happen.

" So, you've been out of the hospital for a while now huh?" Lieu raised an eyebrow.

" For a little while," Bosco was seated in a chair that had become familiar to him over the years. He had had many lectures delivered at him, or more likely thrown at him, while he occupied this particular chair,

" Sooner than I should have, according to Mary."

Swersky chuckled, " I'll bet she chewed you out royally."

Bosco nodded, chuckling along with him.

When he had sobered, Swersky began," But seriously Bosco, the boys downtown are thinking of promoting you."

" What," This was something he hadn't expected, " You serious?"

" When am I not?" Swersky flipped open a manila file folder and scanned through it, " They got a hold of your file, and after they saw the work you did on the Beuford case, the case with Animal, the murder you solved all in one shift, the rapists disguised as police that you and Cruz caught, and the," Swersky sighed,

" The way you showed no regard for your own safety and jumped in front of four bullets for your partner."

Bosco was silent. Rare occurrence, he thought.

" But what really surprises me is what, they're promoting you to," Swersky closed the folder, tossed it on

his desk.

" What?" Bosco found his voice, " To what?"

Swersky took a deep breath, and what he said nearly shocked poor Bosco out of his chair,

" Lieutenant."

_Sorry this took so long, I had some technical difficulties. Thanks for all the reviews!_


	5. Confusion

Bosco was dumbfounded. Speechless, flabbergasted, take your pick.

Me? He thought, a lieutenant?

Swersky watched the younger man in the chair across from him. He seemed to be struggling with the information he had just been given. This was the longest he had ever known Bosco to keep quiet.

" You still in there?" Swersky asked at long last.

" Wow," Bosco exhaled hard, " I never, this is, I never expected this."

Swersky chuckled, " Neither did I."

" Thanks for your vote of confidence Lieu," Bosco sighed, running his hand through his short hair.

His chuckling becoming louder, Swersky replied, " No problem, Lieu."  
# # #

The group of Bosco's friends, and Miller had migrated to the empty roll call room.

A thought had just occurred to Faith. Turning to John, she asked,

"John? How did you know?"

"Know what?" he tried to appear nonchalant.

" When Boz showed up," Faith played with her badge, flipping it open and closed," You said that it was about time. How'd you know?"

" He's a plant," Maritza muttered.

Sasha tensed, then relaxed. Not noticeably, but she did.

" What?" Ty asked curiously. Sully looked everyone's face over carefully.

" On mine and Yokas' first day back," Maritza began, " I got a phone call warning me there was a rat in the house. My first suspect was Miller."

" Except he's Bosco's plant, not IAB's," Faith finished.

" Bosco's plant?" Sasha raised an eyebrow in confusion.

" He needed to know what went on, someone to tell him about the everyday," Maritza explained, " To let him know if anything started going funny."

" Oh," Sasha nodded, " Did you find out who made that phone call?"

Shaking her head, Maritza replied, " Nope, I haven't."  
# # #

Bosco walked from Swersky's office, heading for the roll call room. He figured Maritza and Faith had ducked into the empty room. He would have more explaining to do. But someone he had referred to as

Lil' Finney stopped him in the hallway,

" Hey Bosco," Brendan said.

" Hey," Bosco grinned at him, " How's things working out around here?"

Nodding, Brendan answered, grinning, " Pretty good actually. Davis is my training officer."

" Ty Davis, huh," Bosco sighed, " How's things with you and Sully?"

" That guy's seriously strange. My first day the first thing he says to me is that my dad was a thug, and a liar and a murderer, and nothing I can do will make up for it."

Shaking his head, Bosco replied, " Sully and your father have some issues, I think about Ty's dad. I can't really say I like Captain Finney myself. It just goes with being captain of IAB, or, more fondly known as the rat squad."

Brendan nodded, " You're feeling better now?"

" Yeah, I am," Bosco smiled, " I heard about the whole shoot thing. Couple of junkies robbing the medics. You did really good with that, nice clean shot."

" Thanks. I did just like you showed me," Brendan smiled, " One of the medics hit his head. The guy that talks a lot."

Bosco rolled his eyes, " Carlos hit his head again! That's got to be like millionth time!"

Laughing, Brendan waved the papers in his hand, " I better go file these. I'll see you later?"

" Yeah," Bosco nodded, " See you."  
# # #

The group in the roll call room had grown bored. Maritza absently rubbed her side. The meds she had taken were beginning to wear off. What was taking Bosco so long?

Faith watched as Cruz shifted in her seat. She looked uncomfortable, maybe even in pain. What had happened when she had been in prison?

Sasha exhaled shakily. How to keep everybody from figuring out her secret? What if Bosco already knew? Heck, the FBI could find out anything they wanted about people. What's to say he hadn't of done some research on her?

Ty, Sully, and John sat quietly. In the first two's minds, they ran over the days happenings. Bosco shows up out of the blue, after everybody thought he had been lying in a hospital bed for months. While Ty thought that this was increasingly weird, Sully sighed, thinking, I'm too old for this. John though, was watching the pretty blond who was seated close by him.


	6. New Star?

Maritza excused herself from the group, and left the room. In the corridor, she hugged her middle. The pain was coming back. Bosco carried her medicine and he was nowhere to be found. Hopefully, Swersky would release him soon, and she could get her meds.

Footsteps approached, and she glanced up. But the person approaching wasn't the one she'd hoped for.

"Sarge!"

"Hey Manny."

"How are you?" Manny asked carefully.

"Okay." Even though all she could think was, 'Where's Bosco?'

"Good, good," He nodded, " There's a buzz going around about you showing up with some guy named Boscorelli."

This time, she nodded, "Yeah, I did."

"Isn't he the guy that took four bullets?"

"Yeah, he did," Maritza wrapped her arms tighter around her middle. It really hurt. She saw Manny's eyes widen, then felt a warm arm slip around her. She leaned back against the owner of the arm.

"Hurts?" He asked quietly. She nodded. He slipped the bottle of pills into her hand," Just take one. Two'll knock you out again."

"Okay," She nodded, and left Bosco's arm, heading for the locker room to take her pill in peace.

Back in the hallway, Manny turned to Bosco, "So you're Boscorelli?"

Bosco nodded, "And you're Manny Santiago."

"How'd you know?" Manny asked curiously.

Bosco gave a cocky, one shouldered shrug, "It's my job to know."

Manny's eyes went wide, his mouth opening slightly into a surprised 'o' shape.

"Just kidding," Bosco laughed, seeing Manny's reaction, " I do my research."

"Research?" the wide eyes narrowed, "Are you IAB?"

"Heck no!" Bosco's eyes were the ones that widened now, "What gave you that idea?"

Just then Brendan approached, "Hey, Bosco!"

Bosco's attention left Manny, and turned to his friend, "Yeah?"

"Everybody's getting pretty jumpy in the roll call room. Ty and them all are waiting for you," Brendan waved the file he held in the roll call room's general direction.

"Alright, I'm going kid," Bosco took a deep breath, and exhaled hard, "Just give me a second?"

Brendan nodded, "I'll tell them you're on the way."

"Thanks."

After Brendan left, Manny muttered, "There's on reason to think your IAB. You're right friendly with Rat Junior."

"Did I hear you right?" Bosco narrowed his eyes, "Are you lowering yourself to petty name calling? I won't have any of that in my house."

"Your house Bos-co?" Manny taunted.

"That's Lieutenant Boscorelli to you," Bosco crossed his arms across his chest, and put on his best, 'Don't mess with me' face. "I don't want to hear you insulting your fellow officers again, even at a second grade level. Understood?"

Slightly dazed, Manny nodded.

"Good," Bosco turned on his heel and walked away. He met Maritza at the corner. He motioned back towards Manny, "So, that's your new star huh?"

For a minute, she didn't know what he was talking about. Then it hit her. She had called Bosco her "star" back when they worked the Noble case. She shook her head,

"No, no new star. Do you remember all the trouble the last one was?"

Chuckling, he took her hand in his, and intertwined their fingers, "Come on. Brendan says everybody's getting jumpy in the roll call room."

Maritza nodded, "He's right." Then, something puzzled her, "How do you know Finney?"

Bosco looked down at his gun, then over at her, "I taught him to shoot."

Sorry, sorry, sorry I took soooo longtp post this.


	7. Silence!

**Chapter: Silence!**

**Summery: Finally the group gets some answers, and a surprise visitor. Bosco keeps his mouth shut. For once. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own TW, or any of its characters. If I did, well, things would be different, and it would still be on the air!**

**Author's Notes: I am sorry that I took so long to keep going with this. I had a mental block the size of Russia. But, here goes my best effort. **

When Bosco and Cruz entered the room, Faith noticed that they were holding hands. Bosco perched on a desk, and Maritza took a seat on the chair beside him. Brendan Finney entered the room, and leaned back against a wall. Manny hovered around the doorway.

Bosco took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly.

"So," He began, "What do you want to know?"

Nearly everyone in the room started to speak at once. Bosco's eyes widened, and he looked over at Maritza. She grimaced sympathetically and patted his knee.

"One at a time!" Bosco held up his hands to catch their attention, "One at a time!"

Brendan stuck two fingers in his mouth and whistled sharply. Silence fell over the room.

Bosco glanced over his shoulder at him, "Thanks kid."

"No problem Boz," Brendan leaned back against the wall.

"One at a time," Bosco admonished again, "One at a time."

Nobody said a word. Bosco heaved a large sigh, "Somebody has to say something, or we'll be here all day."

Manny, feeling put out over the altercation in the hallway just moments ago, decided to throw in a question he knew would start something. "Why don't you tell us how you became a Lieutenant all of the sudden?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Bosco leveled his best '_you idiot'_ stare at him. A collective gasp went up from the room. Maritza turned wide eyes to stare at Bosco in wonder. Brendan nearly lost his balance, and Ty rubbed his ears, thinking perhaps he hadn't heard right. Sully, who had just taken a drink of his coffee, spit his mouthful out, nearly splattering Miller. Miller shifted on the desk he sat on, trying to avoid the spray, and then the spreading spill. Sully grabbed a handful of Kleenex from the box behind him, and tried to blot the spill. Faith and Sasha looked at each other with both eyes and mouths wide. Bosco rubbed his temples, and groaned softly. _This was going to be wonderful._

"Bosco! How could you not tell us?" Faith demanded.

"I just found out," He rubbed the back of his neck, "And I just threw it at Santiago there to get him to shut his face."

Maritza shot Manny a look that said _what did you do? _He gave her a look of feigned innocence, but Bosco intercepted the look, and gave him a look that clearly said, _oh, come on man_!

"What did he say Boss?" Brendan asked curiously.

"Nothing a second grader couldn't have come up with Brendan," Bosco replied.

Maritza nudged his leg, "So? How'd you find out?"

Before Bosco could answer, a knock at the door interrupted them, and a dark haired woman with blue eyes entered the room.

"I don't mean to interrupt your little reunion," She dangled a set of keys on her index finger," But, here's your keys Moe."

Bosco reached forward, took the keys from the woman, and tossed them in his hand, "You didn't scratch her did you?"

The woman pretended to be insulted, and narrowed blue eyes at him, "Do you really think that I would scratch your baby?"

Bosco shrugged, "Don't get all flustered Tessy, I know you'd never scratch my car."

Practically everyone in the room traded glances. _Tessy_? Who was this woman, and why did she have Bosco's car? He must like her, thought Maritza, or he never would have given her a nickname, or trusted her with his car.

"Oh, yeah," Bosco dug into his back pocket. Maritza watched as he leaned forward, his stomach becoming flatter inside his shirt, "Here's your keys." He tossed them gently to her.

A playful tint came to 'Tessy's' eyes, "Did you scratch it?" She mimicked Bosco's tone and look perfectly.

He looked pointedly at her, "Do you really think I would do that?"

She shrugged, "You break it, you bought it."

The rest of the people in the room watched the exchange curiously. One question was made the most crucial. _Who was this woman?_

Finally, Faith put voice to the question that was burning in everyone's minds. "Uh, Bosco?"

He turned slightly to look at her, "Yeah?"

"Are you going to introduce your friend, or are we supposed to read your mind?"

"Right!" Bosco nearly smacked himself in the forehead, "Everybody, this is Tess. Tess, this is everybody."

Tess snorted, "Oh, I'm loving your introduction skills Moe."

Bosco made an 'harrumph' sounding noise in his throat," Have it your way Tiny." He pointed to each one as he said their name, "The blonde and the old guy are Faith and Miller. I'm pretty sure you can tell which one of them is which. The one holding up the wall is Brendan Finney. The big guy with the spraying problem is Sully. The one hovering like a scavenger is Santiago. The one who isn't sure if he's seeing and/or hearing right is Ty Davis. The girl next to him is Sasha Munroe, soon to be Davis, and this," His hand rested on Maritza's shoulder, "Is the girl I was telling you about, Maritza."

Tess smiled, and all three of Bosco's at-one-time partners gaped, thinking how it looked a lot like Bosco's.

Sasha spoke up, recovering from Bosco's introduction of her as soon to be Davis, "So, how do you know Bosco?"

"We grew up together," Tess replied, "I've known him and Mike and Ma since the first day of school."

As she said Mike, a sad look entered her eyes. Bosco nudged her with his elbow, "Don't get all teary eyes nene, or I'll have to too."

Tess closed her eyes for a second then opened them again, "I'm fine. Really."

Santiago still hadn't learned to shut his mouth, "Did you just call her _baby_?" He asked incredulously.

"Omigod," Tess said in an amazed voice," Eago?"

Santiago turned bright red, and the look on his face turned stricken.

Maritza looked from him to Tess, "Eago?" She asked in a voice that was strangled with laughter.

Tess chortled, "Yep. I thought that was you."

Bosco laughed aloud, "This is the guy you were talking about?"

"Uh-huh," Tess nodded, "He's the one."

"You guys have got to hear this story," Bosco turned his glare at Santiago, an '_I've gotcha now buddy_' gleam in his blues.

Tess began a tale about how Santiago had worked with her and her people for a while. One of her team members brought in their kid one day, and the kid had called him 'Eago', after the parrot on the Disney movie _Aladdin_, that couldn't keep its beak shut.

"So, you're a cop then too?" Ty asked, after hearing her talk about Santiago assisting her team with a case.

"Not exactly a cop," Tess sighed, "I'm, um," She shot a nervous glance at Bosco, who reached over, and squeezed her shoulder.

"She's the senior investigator for the Counter-Terrorism Unit," He announced, proud as you please.

"Counter Terrorism huh?" Ty asked, "Sounds prestigious."

"Sounds like FBI," Sully muttered, "There's some treacherous SOBs right there."

"Sully," Bosco's voice was aggravated, "Just cause she's FBI doesn't make her evil. I owe her my life, many times over."

"Were you working before or after, um, ah, you know," Sasha asked, not wanting to say the words.

Tess reached over, and gently rubbed Bosco's shoulder when his breathing caught in his throat, "I was promoted to CTU not long ago. I was leading a surveillance team before that."

Many heads nodded, Bosco still bore the proud smile. After a few moments of silence, Tess hiked a thumb towards the door, "Well, I've got to get back. It was nice meeting you all."

The rest of the group expressed similar sentiments, while Bosco stood and pulled Tess into a quick hug. As he released her, he whispered, "I'll call you," Into her ear. She nodded, and with a finial smile and wave, she departed.

It took over two hours before Bosco finally managed to satisfy everyone curiosity. Even Maritza had questions, though she had heard the story before. They all left the roll call room with hugs, saying things like, "I can't wait to get back on the streets." "It's good to have you back." "Good luck with being a Lieutenant."

Faith and Miller headed back for their office, Ty, Sully, Finney, and Sasha were headed out to the streets, Santiago to the Anti-Crime office. Before Finney and Sasha could head out, Bosco asked to see Sasha alone for a moment. He pulled her into the now empty roll call room, and after closing the door, perched on a desk, just looking at her.

Sasha's stomach was in knots. She was certain now that Bosco knew. What else could explain why he was pulling her into an empty room, why he wanted to see her alone?

"So," He began, "Congrats Detective."

Sasha swallowed, "Bosco, I'm sorry. When I was in the academy, they said that I could make detective, and," She was rambling on and on and on about her excuses for joining IAB.

He finally held up a hand to get her attention, "Sasha. Sasha!"

She stopped talking and looked at him, " I'm sorry Bosco. It seemed like it was a good idea at the time, and I just wanted to make it so bad. I had my sister, and Drew, and I need the job."

She was in tears. He watched them trail down her face for as long as he could stand, then stood, and pulled her into a hug.

"Sasha, it's okay. Shhh…" Bosco held her, rocking back and forth slightly. A strange thought fluttered through his mind, she was the fourth crying woman he had held in the last two days. He felt so loved. They all just wanted to cry on his shoulder.

"When did you find out?" She asked when her tears had slowed to a small trickle.

"The FBI knew," Bosco twisted, and pulled a Kleenex from the box on the desk, "They got me your file. I don't know how. And then they bugged your date with Faith."

"My date with Faith?" She asked in surprise, using the Kleenex he had offered.

"When you took her out after her promotion ceremony. You had her bugged, and I had you bugged." Bosco explained, " I think they even had a listening device in the IAB van. The FBI is very sneaky."

She nodded, "And I thought I was good."

"What are you going to do?" He asked tentatively, "Stick with IAB? Because if you do, it's going to get out. And, if that happens, it's going to get ugly."

Sasha sighed, "I can't lie to everybody anymore. I'm not a rat!"

"You did send Ritza to jail," Bosco pointed out, his tone harsher than before, as he remembered how he had found Cruz, how she had been beat up, unable to fight back. He couldn't bear seeing her like that

Sasha looked down, "I didn't send her to jail Boz."

"You gathered the evidence, you gave it to Finney, you-"

She cut him off, "Okay, yeah, so I did that! But, I also begged for more time. I was trying to _clear_ Cruz! You of all people should know that I would never do that to her! And I don't want to be a rat Bosco! I'm not a rat!"

She stopped shouting at him when she saw the grin spread across his face, "Why you little," The rest of that sentence was said under her breath.

"I was waiting to hear that." He smiled, "My lips are sealed."

Sasha scoffed, "That'll be the day."

"Hey!" He pretended to be insulted.

"Besides," She exhaled hard, "People are getting suspicious after Cruz told them about the call."

"Makes sense. A tip about a rat in the house usually doesn't go unheeded," He said.

Yep," She agreed, then, realization kicked in, "Wait, I never said what the call was about."

"Umm," Bosco licked his lips nervously, "Ritza told me."

"Sure she did," Sasha replied, then accused, "You were the one who made that call, weren't you?"

He didn't even bother denying it, "You can bet your ass I did it. I wanted to make sure they didn't get sent off for something they didn't do."

"Do the feds know you called her?"

"Tess does, nobody else," He shrugged, "Except you."

"Did you ever think that Tess would tell someone else?" Sasha asked.

"Nope. I can't keep secrets from her very well, but she can keep them from everybody else." Bosco grinned, "It might be a girl thing, keeping secrets."

"Or she knows you too well, and that's why she can tell when you are keeping something from her," Sasha teased, happy the heat was off her, happy finally someone knew about the IAB, happy he was going to keep his trap shut. For once.


	8. Sleepless Mornings and Tang

**Title**: Sleepless Nights and Tang

**Pairing**: I really think you get it by now.

**Disclaimer**: I am making nothing off this fic. Not a red cent. So you can't sue me for all I'm worth, 'cause there's nothing to win.

**Author's Notes**: Ta-da! I'm back. Perhaps I'll stay awhile this time. Sorry each chapter is taking so long to get posted. I'm having a bit of a writer's block, or what I like to call a brain fart. Hopefully, I'll be able to get posting more, and finish. Now, on with the story!

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

On the way back to Bosco's apartment, they stopped by Maritza's, so she could pick up a few things. Bosco had insisted that she stay with him while she recuperated. She knew he only wanted to keep an eye on her, and if she was being truly honest, she didn't want to be by herself right now.

They spent fifteen minutes arguing over who was going to sleep where. Bosco wouldn't hear of her sleeping on the couch, especially with her ribs. And she protested she didn't want to kick him out of his bed. He said he didn't mind. Then he said, "I'd let you stay in the spare room, but the bed doesn't have a mattress yet. I keep putting off getting one." This ended with her teasing him about procrastinating, and both of them laughing.

The rest of the evening was spent eating Chinese take-out and talking. Talking like they had never done before. They talked about his mom and about the reactions at the hospital and the precinct. They talked about meeting young Finney. They talked about Santiago. They talked about Tess. Bosco even fessed up to calling Maritza with the snitch warning. From there the Tess topic picked up again, and eventually ran into Mikey. Then the topic segued into Lettie, which ended with both of them become tearful.

At about ten-thirty, Maritza swallowed on of her pain pills, and crawled into Bosco's bed. Bosco had made himself comfortable in the living room, proudly showing off how his sofa pulled out into a hide-a-bed. Sighing contentedly, Maritza snuggled down under the covers, and fell asleep.

When she awoke sometime later, the room was saturated in darkness. Except for two gleaming green eyes that glared at her from the edge of the bed.

"Omigod," Maritza murmured, pulling her legs up. But whatever the eyes belonged to jumped forward, and grabbed her foot.

She yelled, she wasn't sure what, and tried to shake her foot free. The form with candescent green eyes and sharp, needle like claws let out a hissing sound and leapt for the floor.

Suddenly the overhead light flicked on. A shirtless, groggy Bosco with mussy hair and half closed eyes, stood in the doorway, his hand on the light switch.

"Ritza?" He blinked rapidly, as did she, their eyes adjusting to the sudden light, "What's wrong?"

"Something attacked me," She turned wide eyes to him, "Something with these huge green eyes and claws! And it hissed at me-"

She stopped when she noticed the amusement creeping into his sleep flecked eyes.

"Bosco!" She exclaimed, "This isn't funny!"

"Are you sure something attacked you?" He asked skeptically.

"Yes!" She looped her arms around her knees, "I am _not_ making this up!"

"Okay, okay," He patted the air with his hands, motioning for her to calm down, "I believe you."

Bosco took a seat beside her on the bed. She felt a quick, almost sharp pang of realization. She was clad in an oversized NYPD t-shirt, its hem ending at mid-thigh. She nearly anchored her arms around herself to keep the blankets in place, but then shoved those thoughts aside. This was Bosco. And besides, she thought demurely, it wasn't anything he hadn't seen before. Hmmm…her mind began to slip back in time.

Bosco noticed the dreamy look on her face, "Ritza? You okay?" He thought that maybe he had misjudged how frightened she was by the mysterious "attacker" with green eyes and claws.

"Fine," She gulped, "I'm fine."

He didn't look convinced but let the topic rest. Instead, he lifted her mane of hair from her neck and began to massage the tense muscles there.

"It's okay," He murmured, "You probably just scared my cat."

"Your cat?" She repeated incredulously.

Removing his hand, Bosco got up and went over to the closet. He opened the door a bit more, and then crouched down in front of it. He flicked his fingers like he was going to snap them, but didn't make the sound, then began to calling, " Here, kitty, kitty."

Maritza's mind wasn't quite wrapping around the fact that it was Bosco, _her_ Bosco kneeling by the closet. The don't mess with me, or I'll get you jag-off, Bosco, calling "here, kitty, kitty", in a baby voice.

After he stood there, calling for about five minutes, a large, orange fluff ball waddled out to him. He scooped up the fluff, and straightened. As he approached the bed, she scooted over to make room for him, and his furry parcel.

Retaking his seat, Bosco settled the cat in his lap, "This is Tang," He proclaimed, a proud papa.

"Tang?" Maritza asked, keeping a safe distance from the claws.

"You know, like the juice."

"You named your cat after juice?"

"Just after I got him, I left him alone in the kitchen with a glass of juice on the table," He replied, methodically stroking the cat's fur, "When I came back into the room a few minutes later, he had his head stuck as far as it could go into the glass, and was sucking the juice back as fast as he could." He started chuckling at the memory.

Maritza soon joined him, the mental image of a furry orange cat, his large head stuck in a glass, purple juice crystals sticking to his whiskers too much for her to think about and keep quiet.

"Where did you get him?" As she spoke, Maritza inched her hand closer to Tang.

"I found him," Bosco scratched the cat behind the ears, and a loud, rumbling purr emitted from the cat, "The poor kitty was wandering around alone, outside in the cold."

Cautiously, Maritza snuck in a stroke of the cat's fur. Tang raised his large head, and looked up at her with such huge trusting eyes, before returning his head to the crook of Bosco's elbow.

"When I first got him," Bosco paused in stroking his cat to hold his hands a few inches apart, "He was only this big."

"He's not that big now?" Maritza observed, "What did you feed him? Miracle grow?" She yawned, and rested her head against Bosco's shoulder.

Bosco adjusted himself, her, and the cat so that he was leaning back against the headboard, and she was stretched out beside him, her head on his chest, hand on his stomach. Tang curled into a tight ball on Bosco's other side.

"You'll see what I feed him when we go to the grocery store today."

"Grocery store?" Maritza mumbled sleepily.

"Yep," Bosco brushed her hair back off her face. He dragged the blanket over them, settled his arm around her back, resting his hand lightly on her hip, and drifted off to sleep.


	9. Kibble and Kisses

**Title**: Kibble and Kisses

**Disclaimer**: Insert babble about not owning anything here.

**Author Notes**: I'm getting faster at this. I actually want to get writing on this story again.I hope I can keep going.Please R&R. All you have to do is press the little purple button at the bottom left of the screen. It's that simple.

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When Bosco awoke, the cat was still cuddled to his side, but Maritza was gone. He lingered in bed for a few moments longer, then stretched his drowsy limbs and shuffled from the room. As he past through the living room, he grabbed his button down shirt from where he had flung it over the back of the couch the night before, and shrugged it on.

He found Maritza in the kitchen, standing over the stove.

"Morning," Bosco scrubbed a hand over his face.

"Morning," She flipped something over in a frying pan, "There wasn't much to choose from around here."

"I know," He leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek, but she turned to face him at the same moment, and he ended up kissing her lips.

Surprised was an understatement for what she was feeling. _Bosco_. _Was_. _Kissing_. _Her_. Bosco was kissing her. Two words came to her mind. Holy shit.

Bosco was having a similar reaction. Between the shock, there were bouts of confusion. A million thoughts raced through his mind at once. Should he back off, or stay close? Move in closer? Was he scaring her? Did she even want him to kiss her?

In the end, she made the decision for him, hauling him to her by his shirt. She held on. Kissed back. He relaxed and held her warmly.

When they broke apart, Bosco took a step back and a second to compose himself, "I'm sorry Ritz, I didn't…"

She cut him off by pressing a finger to his lips, "Don't be," She raked her eyes over his exposed chest and torso, "I'm not."

He breathed a sigh of relief, "Good."

Neither was completely at ease. Bosco stood, his behind braced against the counter, and Maritza seemed enthralled by the pops and hisses emanating from her cooking. The two stood in an uncomfortable silence.

"These are just about ready," Maritza finally broke the silence.

"I'll set the table," Bosco offered, grateful for something to do. In no time, two plates were dished up, and the two sat down to eat. Tang eventually waddled out to join them. He sat on the floor, his paws on Bosco's thigh, kneading them whenever he wanted bacon. Bosco slipped him several small pieces.

Maritza caught him at it, "Stop feeding that cat from the table."

He grinned, "Yes Mommy," He replied, feeling petulant.

She rolled her eyes, not only because he called her Mommy. But also because she thought he looked incredibly gorgeous doing it. She had always felt something for him, more than professional, more than friends, even after they broke up. As if they had actually been dating, she thought slyly. You had to go out for that. But she had never known if he had felt the same. Their fights that had grown more heated, then there was the time he had stuck a knife in the RMP tire to let her get some closure. He ran hot and cold. But she knew why. Now, with this kiss, her doubts were resurfacing, as was some of the hope she had held onto since when they were 'together'.

"Ritza?" Bosco laid a hand on her arm, rubbing it up and down, "Are you okay?"

Not wanting to let her thoughts out yet, not when they were so jumbled, she nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine. You worry too much Boz."

"You were drifting again," He accused.

"Was not," She searched for something to divert his attention, " It's no wonder your cat is so fat, you keep feeding him so much."

"My cat is not fat," Bosco argued, "He's just fluffy."

Maritza snorted, "Very fluffy."

Both looked down at the "fluffy" cat on the floor that stared back at them.

While Maritza went back to his room to change, Bosco cleaned the table and piled the dishes in the sink. He leaned back against the counter, and rubbed both hands over his face. What had he done? Had he scared her back into her shell with that kiss? He had wanted to kiss her for the longest time. For a while, that feeling had been accompanied by guilt. He thought he owed loyalty to Faith. But after all that had happened, after all the water underneath the bridge, he still had still felt that twinge whenever he was around her. The same twinge that had presented itself when she pranced into the Anti-Crime office with six-inch heels and a handkerchief for a skirt. The twinge had intensified itself when he had come to her aid in the middle of the night. He shook himself when he remembered the sick feeling he had gotten in the pit of his stomach when he had heard her yell. It brought back the image of her curled into a ball on the floor, at the mercy of her fellow prisoners. That picture was burned into his mind, no matter how hard he tried to purge it.

Still, she had held onto him, she had kissed him back. That had to count for something, right? She had said she wasn't regretting the kiss. The usual cocky smile came over his face. Maybe there was hope for them after all. They just had to take it slow, let them both warm up to it.

"Boz?" He jumped slightly at Maritza's voice, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," He turned towards her and nodded, "I'm fine. You ready?"

But Maritza wasn't ready to drop the first subject, "You sure? You looked kind of out of it."

"I'm sure," He grinned to reassure her, then mimicked her from before, "You worry too much."

She didn't look convinced, but let it go, "Okay."

Shopping with Bosco. Maritza had to count it as one of the most interesting occurrences of her life. It was in no way what she expected.

First, he chose produce. He did so slowly, picking over the vegetables until he found the one he wanted. He then fairly sauntered from aisle to aisle, choosing items carefully off the shelves, occasionally comparing items and prices. Maritza scanned their cart. It contained fruits and vegetables, milk and bread, among other things. Most things were healthy. Compared to what she was used to seeing him eat. He caught her eyeing the cart, then glancing over at him.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"Nothing," She shook her head, "Just not what I pictured you eating."

Inwardly happy she'd actually pictured it, he has to ask, "What did you picture me eating?"

She shrugged, "More junk, I guess. Like you eat at work."

"I get enough junk at work," It was his turn to shrug, " I just want to have something different when I get home."

There was something in his voice, a slightly wistful crack in his tone that made her think that there was more to the story. But, she let it go, he obviously wasn't ready to talk about it. Instead, she slipped her hand in his.

The best part of their shopping experience though, had to be when they were in the pet supplies aisle. Bosco pushed the cart to the bags of cat food that were piled on a shelf, and searched for the kind he wanted.

Maritza leaned on the cart handle, discreetly watching him from behind, "So now I get to see what you feed catzilla."

Bosco rolled his eyes, and then spotted the one he wanted. He bent again, and hefted a bag of cat kibble. Maritza nearly keeled over laughing when she saw the brand name.

"You _do_ feed him _Miracle Grow_," She chortled and clutched the cart handle to remain upright. Bosco sighed resignedly and slid the bag of kibble onto the bottom rack of the cart.

"Don't hurt yourself," He warned. Secretly he was gloating that the smile was back on her face. She looked so beautiful when she smiled. A grin took over his features as he watched her.

They made their way to the checkout, Maritza occasionally chuckling to herself, and glancing from Bosco to the cat kibble. Back at the apartment, an indifferent ball of fur greeted them. After the groceries were tucked away, the two of them settled on the couch, on the premise of watching television. Bosco flicked on the TV, and began surfing through the channels, Maritza occasionally interjecting when the something looked interesting. They eventually decided on _X-Men_, which was the main feature on the movie channel.

While Maritza was busy ogling the main male character, who was now prancing around the screen shirtless, Bosco was thinking. About a way to inconspicuously put his arm around her. The kiss that morning had opened the floodgates, and now sitting next to her now, this close, was torture. What he really wanted was to kiss her again. But, it was his ass that was going to hit the floor if she wasn't receptive.

Maritza was getting impatient. She had always known that she had been missing the day they handed out patience, but this was pure torture. Bosco's arm had "inconspicuously" slipped around her, and was holding her close to him. But after they had kissed that morning, sitting cuddled up against him was driving her crazy. She inched closer to him, if that was possible, and nestled her head against his shoulder.

Bosco wasn't completely sure what she was doing. He wasn't completely sure what he was doing. The two of them were acting like teenagers, afraid to make a move lest it scare the other. He _felt _like a teenager right now, not knowing how to proceed, not knowing his next move. He wasn't like this around women. He always knew his next move, always knew what to do, how far to go. He didn't like not knowing. The woman made him soft in the head.

_What is he waiting for?_ Maritza wondered. What does he need, an engraved invitation? It was time for her to take matters into her own hands.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer 2: I don't own X-Men.


End file.
